TRP: Gwydion and Larkin (Prowling)
December 9, 2018 Jen: at 10:03 AM Day 146, a day after claiming the castle. The castle was nice. A bit dusty and run down by the bandits that'd squatted in here, but nothing that couldn't be fixed up. They even let Larkin pick a room and Goro had claimed the one right next to her. If she lived here, they could hange out more often. Would be nice. She wasn't going to, though. Too many things that demanded her presence in the city and the castle was located too far outside the wall. Inconvenient. Also, Larkin didn't like all the new inhabitants. For some reason, that weird elf Gwydion they'd pulled out of the dungeon had just invited himself to stay - and somehow, no one had tried to kick him out so far. If that wasn't reason enough to have a word with this guy, there was also the fact that that little shit Jonn had blown him a fucking kiss before cracking out of the fight. Now, if Gwydion was somehow involved with Jonn, Larkin wanted to know all about it. She prowled through the corridors, looking for Goro to drag him along for the questioning (never hurt to have good back-up, especially when you're a hundred pound woman). The castle was huge, though, and she hadn't seen him all morning. Larkin was positive one could just walk round after round in here and not come across anyone else. Actually a perk of the place come to think of it. She was, in fact, on her third round of that already, entering the library again after checking Goro's room, the place that nerd was most likely to hang out in. Mink: at 10:10 AM There was nothing special about the castle, but it was large and there was space to spread out. There was also a library in dissarray and an assortment of individuals that had taken up residence there. Gwydion had been more than willing to help himself to the tower and no one had stopped him, but he couldn't remain there; there were things to do. The library was the first place he decided to explore. It was quiet and gave him time to think about Jonn. Oh, he had to do something about him, but he didn't know what. He pulled a torn book down from a shelf, holding it one hand to open it while his staff rested against his shoulder. The book wasn't valuable, but sometimes they hid secret gems. Jen: at 10:17 AM Ah, finally. Larkin heard the rustling of book pages being turned as she walked into the library. Goro had been drawn to information like a moth to light. Probably looking for some new weird shit to grab his interest. "Hey, pal," she said when turning around the corner of a shelf and spotting the man standing there. "I've been looking for- " She stopped short when realizing it wasn't Goro but Gwydion going through a book there. Damn, maybe should've checked to soo who it was before. "Oh. I thought you were someone else. Nevermind." Mink: at 10:20 AM Gwydion flipped a page before he looked up quickly when he heard someone speaking. He hadn't heard her and it took a moment to calm his heart rate. He smiled easily at the tiefling. "Maybe I can help?" Jen: at 10:30 AM "No, I don't..." She stopped and reconsidered. Hm, maybe she could just do this alone. Tracking down Goro could take hours in here and until then, Gwydion might be the next one to vanish. "Well, actually, yeah. Maybe. " She shifted into a more relaxed position and put on a smile. "Y' know, I've been wondering. That one guy, one of those bandits wearing red we fought in the throne room. I saw him blow you a kiss. You know the guy?" Mink: at 10:38 AM Gwydion looked back at the book when she said she didn't need him before she continued on. He closed it and slid it back onto the shelf. He gripped his staff and smiled; Jonn was making his rounds it seemed. He debated his answer for a second as he leaned on his staff. "Obviously. Maybe strangers blow you kisses, but it usually isn't something that happens to me." Jen: at 10:45 AM "Figured." He was being smooth and elusive. Kinda matched his looks. Something was terribly off about this man but Larkin didn't have enough information yet to pinpoint anything. "Can you tell me about him?" Mink: at 10:48 AM "That depends on what you want to know." He was being interrogated on some level, he was sure. She and that half-elf were keen on questioning him. He supposed he couldn't blame them. Jen: at 10:53 AM Oh, she wanted to know everything. Couldn't just say that, though. He was acting just as cagey as he had in the dungeons, deflecting the questions and would likely keep doing that. Damn, this was more a thing for Goro. He knew how to do this kinda talk. "I'd like to know where you know him from. Y'know, since we fought him and his friends. See if he's... a threat. To us." Mink: at 11:00 AM A threat. Also a valid point with Jonn, but...well, she was also likely a threat. "I met him at the Pinch O'Salt," he said with a flicker of a smile. He had also met Sugar at a bar and that was amusing given the night before. "He seems fairly harmless." Jen: at 11:11 AM "Hm, does he now? Harmless guy just busy carving up bandits?" Larkin kept the smile on but narrowed her eyes a bit. This guy was hard to get a read on. She couldn't tell if he was being evasive on purpose or if he was hiding something. She shrugged. "Yeah, guess that depends on the point of view. Maybe he's harmless to you. What's it you do, exactly?" Mink: at 11:13 AM "What do you want me to do?" Gwydion smiled almost sweetly and gave a shadow of a wink. Jen: at 11:20 AM Larkin's face twitched, before she could catch herself. What? What the hell was that supposed to mean? She shifted position and disguised a half-step back. "Uhm, I asked what you... do. I meant, what get you food on your table and," she gestured at the staff, "what's that one for. You're wizard, right? What kinda magic do you do." Mink: at 11:26 AM Another smile tugged at Gwydion's lips at the twitch and he arched an eyebrow as she clarified her question. It was a touchy subject with some people and he didn't know what she would think of it, but he also doubted she would believe anything less than the truth. And, well, he liked this castle and some of its inhabitants. "I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that for food, but my speciality is necromancy." Jen: at 11:35 AM Huh. Well, that... was unexpected. And surprisingly honest, or at least she guessed it was. Larkin nodded. "Yeah. Not something you go 'round announcing, huh? Especially not in Skyport, holy capital of Helm worship." She paused and idly drew a finger over the backs of the books in the shelf next to her before continuing. "So, you and that guy are what? Lovers?" Mink: at 11:41 AM "Nothing quite so elaborate as that." Gwydion straightened, twisting his staff once. He was answering many of her questions and getting precious little in return, which was just as frustrating as it was intriguing. "How about we make this a proper conversation since I have answered several of your questions already." Jen: at 11:44 AM Probably only had been a matter of time for him to try and turn tables. Well, if it kep thim talking, let him. "Yeah, why not. I thought we did already, with all the words we're using." She smirked. "But sure. Let's have a conversation." Mink: at 11:48 AM "Oh no, that was just a failed interrogation." Gwydion tapped his fingers along his staff as he looked for a close table. The tiefling didn't have to sit, but he was going to. He slid into or of the chairs, careful in case it broke; the library was in desperate need of repair. "The first part of a proper conversation is introductions and you already know my name, but I don't know yours." Jen: at 12:36 PM Larkin scowled at his aloof attitude but followed to the table. She sat down, the chair wobbling on a short leg, and considered what name to give him. He didn't have to know her real name or find out who she was. However, if he planned on staying here and they let him, he'd find out sooner or later anyway. "Fine. I'm Jacqueline but you can call me Jake," she said, opting for the more cautious choice. Didn't really matter if he found out about the fake name. She doubted it but maybe she could even get the others to not drop her real name. "So, if you're not lovers, then what? Fuck buddies?" Mink: at 12:40 PM "Uh-huh. Well, nice to meet you, Jake." If she wanted to lie, that was fine. At some point her name would come out. "That's rather crude, don't you think?" He chuckled softly. "We're just friends." Jen: at 12:43 PM She learned back, one arm over the backrest of the chair. "Is that so? Never met someone who blows kisses to their 'just friends' but you do you I guess." She left it at that, looking at him placidly, waiting where that you lead. Mink: at 12:44 PM "You really should try this 'just friends' business. You sound like you need it." Gwydion smiled. "Your turn to answer a question: why this castle?" Jen: at 12:47 PM She shook her head. "I don't fucking know, man. They asked me to tag along and it sounded like a fun distraction. My turn. Why are you so eager to move in with a bunch of strangers?" Mink: at 12:52 PM Gwydion splayed out his hands and shrugged. "What better place to live than a castle? My turn again. How long have you been with these strangers?" Jen: at 12:55 PM This was growing frustrating. Larkin wondered if she could somehow catch him off guard. She dropped the smile and tilted her head a bit. "Fucking elusive, aren't we? Except about the necromancy, which is kinda weird. I wonder what you're hiding." Mink: at 1:00 PM Gwydion arched an eyebrow, tapping his fingers in his staff before making them relax. She was a hard one to smooth over. "I never hide anything." He gave a bare smile that slipped away as he watched Jake with an impassive gaze. "If you really have to know, I'm here because Sugar is here." Jen: at 1:07 PM Not hiding anything? Yeah, sure. Now that bit about Sugar was interesting. And worrying. "And why is that? Why're you so interested in a girl you just met at a bar? You into her? If so I got some bad news for you." Mink: at 1:09 PM "Oh, no. She's just a very nice, sweet girl." Gwydion chuckled. "If she's your girlfriend, you don't have to worry about me." Jen: at 1:11 PM Sugar her girlfriend? Goro would freak. And Larkin would probably develop a drinking problem. She grinned. "Isn't that reassuring. Just moving in because you think she's nice and sweet. Not weird or creepy at all." Mink: at 1:19 PM "I'm glad we're on the same page." Gwydion leaned back in his chair. Weird and creepy we're familiar words. "Now it's my turn to ask: what is it you do?" Jen: at 1:23 PM And now it was her turn to be cagey. She flexed her neck and shrugged. "Oh, odd jobs. Whatever's available and pays. In my free time, I like to ask suspicious strangers questions." Mink: at 1:24 PM "There are better ways to spend your free time." Gwydion smiled and turned his staff again. "It sounds like we have similar pasttimes." Jen: at 1:30 PM "Really? Like what, getting locked up by bandits?" She took note of how he kept twisting his staff in his hand. Always idling with it, always touching. "Remind please, 'cause it seems I forgot. Why where you in there again?" Mink: at 1:33 PM She was watching him intently; oh, she did something fun in her daily job, he was sure of it. "I was helping a friend and I guess I'm not very stealthy. Maybe you can give me some personal lessons on that." Jen: at 1:38 PM "Well, tell me what happened and maybe I can give you a few tips." Larkin smiled. Actually, this kind of back and forth was starting to grow on her. Not much progress in terms of gathering information and it was hard to not grow impatient with this, but Gwydion had something... deeply interesting about him. Something that set her alarm bells to ringing but also kept her hooked to keep talking. Mink: at 1:41 PM "That sounds like a lovely date." Private lessons from a tiefling that had a life that dictated she give him a false name. Now, that was definitely something he couldn't pass up. "We were trying to get down to the dungeon and, well..." He splayed his hands. "I tripped." Jen: at 1:49 PM "Who's we?" Mink: at 1:51 PM Gwydion arched an eyebrow. "The friend I was trying to help and myself." Jen: at 1:54 PM "Oh, of course." She rolled her eyes. "My bad. I assumed I'd get a straight answer." Mink::: '''at 2:18 PM "Maybe you could try asking exactly what you want to know?" '''Jen: at 2:23 PM Larkin was silent for a beat, giving him a scrutinizing look. She wasn't sure if he was mocking her or really just wanted her to ask for the name. Well, she could try it. "What's the name of that friend, what were you helping him with and why did you wanna go to the dungeon?" Mink::: '''at 3:38 PM The corners of Gwydion's lips twitched. He thought about simply not answering her straightly, but she had indulged him. "Jonn and he didn't readily say. It could have been the teleportation circle." '''Jen: at 3:47 PM "Hm." She leaned back considering. So he'd been sneaking through here with Jonn, they got caught and locked up... but Jonn got away and didn't help Gwydion out? Well, he was a little shit, so no surprise there. Something still seemed off here. "So Jonn ditched you once you got caught? Do you know where he is now?" Mink::: '''at 3:52 PM "No idea." Jonn had yet to divulge that information. It was almost a shame, bit one day he would find out. "I'm sure you have your ways on finding out." '''Jen: at 4:48 PM "Hm, wish that was true," she said quietly. "Jonn's a hard character to find. Any chance you'd let me know if you found out where he lives? I'd owe you a favour." Mink::: '''at 4:51 PM Gwydion tapped his nails against his staff; a favor with this tiefling could be beneficial. Yet..."As long as you can be held to your word." He smiled and pulled himself to his feet, thinking that this conversation was close to an end. "Since you've asked several questions, I have one more: what's your real name, Jake?" '''Jen: at 4:54 PM She considered giving another false name but he'd caught onto the lie too quickly the first time. Gwydion might actually give her a lead on Jonn and she didn't want to waste this chance by irritating him. "Larkin." '''Mink::: '''at 4:56 PM Gwydion half expected her to lie again, but she didn't and he smiled. "It was a pleasure, Larkin." He turned to walk away and gave a wave. "You know where to find me for those personal lessons." '''Mink::: '''at 5:32 PM Title: Prowling . Larkin and Gwydion have a pleasant conversation about Jonn. Category:Text Roleplay